Cigarette lighters



Dec. 22, 1970 w. RETZLE R 3, 90 I CIGARETTE LIGHTERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 17, 1968 Dec. 22, 1970 w. RETZLER CIGARETTE LIGHTERS 3 Sheets$heet 2 Filed Oct. 17, 1968 Dec. 22, 1970 w. RETZLER 3,549,290

CIGARETTE LIGHTERS I Filed Oct, 17, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent 3,549,290 CIGARETTE LIGHTERS William Retzler, Wickham, England, assignor to Tetra Molectric Limited, London, England, a British company Filed Oct. 17, 1968, Ser. No. 768,294

Claims priority, application Great Britain, Nov. 6, 1967,

Int. Cl. F23q 2/16 US. Cl. 431274 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to a cigarette lighter having a burner and an action comprising a flint wheel, an actuating member adapted to be moved backwards and downwards by thumb pressure, means connecting said actuating member to said flint wheel whereby said movement of said actuating member causes rotation of said flint wheel and a stream of sparks to be directed to ignite fuel at said burner, said connection means comprising an intermediate member and means pivotally connecting the front end of said actuating member to said intermediate member; the improvement comprises providing said actuating member in inner and outer parts, a return spring acting on said inner part to urge said actuating member to its rest position, means pivotally connecting said inner part to said intermediate member whereby said action is fully operational without said outer part, and means for securing said outer part over said inner part whereby said outer part serves to conceal said action and to transmit said operators thumb pressure to said inner part'to operate said action.

This invention is concerned with a cigarette lighter action of the kind in which an actuating member is connected to a flint wheel so that when the actuating member is moved backwards and downwards, in use by thumb pressure, the flint wheel is rotated and directs a stream of sparks to ignite the fuel at a burner. The connection between the actuating member and flint wheel includes an intermediate member, such as a snutfer cap carrying a pawl of a pawl and ratchet mechanism, to which the front end of the actuating member is pivoted.

In lighters of this kind the actuating member is urged to its raised forward rest position by means of a spring which is connected either to a part fixed removably to the underside of the actuating member or to a part permanently fixed to the underside of the actuating member. The pivotal connection between the front of the actuating member and the intermediate member is usually provided by small screws which extend through apertures in forwardly extending ears on each side of the actuating member. The actuating member is conventionally a thin walled embellished metal part, complementary to the embellished outer shell of the lighter. It follows that the embellished part has to be manipulated many times during the assembly and testing of the action, and in order to prevent the embellishment being scratched or otherwise harmed, it is necessary to use masking tape or for the assemblers to wear kid gloves and generally take great care. This involves extra time and care and raises the manufacturing costs. A further disadvantage of the conventional arrangement is that the most frequent place for wear to occur in the action is at the apertures in the ears. These apertures become enlarged owing to the thinness of the metal from which the ears are formed and their continual rubbing against the screws as the lighter action is used. This fault can only be repaired satisfactorily by throwing away the relatively expensive embellished part forming the actuating member and replacing it by a new one.

In accordance with the present invention the actuating member of a lighter action of the kind described is formed in two parts, an inner part which receives the reaction of a return spring to urge the actuating member to its rest position, and which is pivotally connected directly to the intermediate member, and an outer part which is carried by and fits over the inner part and serves to conceal the action and in use to transmit the operators thumb pressure to the inner part to operate the action.

With this arrangement the outer part of the actuating member is only fitted to the action as a final assembly step after the rest of the action has been assembled and tested. Masking tape or kid gloves are therefore unnecessary and all the components of theaction except the outer part of the actuating member can be made of cheap materials and designed with the emphasis on function rather than appearance. In use the embellished outer part is not subjected to any appreciable mechanical wear and if this portion is made detachable from the inner part of the actuating member, it can be reused should any of the other cheaper components of the action require replacement at any time.

Our new construction enables the inner actuating member part and intermediate member at least to be cast or to be made of a plastics material which is at least slightly resilient. These parts can be moulded cheaply and lead naturally to a simple assembly. For example the resilience of the inner part of the actuating member can be used to enable the outer embellished part, which will usually be metal, to be snapped on or oif the inner part. Also the pivotal connection between the inner part and the intermediate member may be provided by at least a part circular aperture or apertures formed integrally in one and receiving a complementary spigot or spigots formed integrally with the other. The spigot or spigots may snap into the aperture or apertures during assembly. This avoids the use of the conventional small screws which are extremely tedious to manipulate.

The action is preferably mounted on a moulded plastics action carrier. The assembly of the action is then further simplified if the intermediate member is pivotally mounted on the action carrier by means of an axle pin on which the flint wheel is rotatably mounted and which is inserted through aligned holes in the intermediate member and action carrier. The pin may be located axially in position by means of the outer shell of the lighter the walls of which embrace the ends of the pin when the action is fitted to the outer shell. The rear end of the inner actuating member part may then be connected to the action carrier by means of a pivotal link but alternatively the rear end of the inner actuating member part may co-operate with the action carrier by means of a cam and follower, for example as described in our co-pending application No. 741,408. The action carrier may also be moulded with an integral anchorage for one end of the return spring, the anchorage for the other end of the return spring being integrally moulded on the inner part of the actuating member.

Examples of cigarette lighters incorporating actions in accordance with the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one lighter action;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a lighter incorporating the action of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but of an alternative action.

The lighter action shown in FIG. 1 consists of three plastic mouldings: an action carrier 3, and inner actuating member part 4 and an intermediate member 5. The inner actuating member part 4 is pivotally connected at its front end to the intermediate member 5 by means of a pair of spigots 6 which are formed integrally with the member and which fit into part circular open sided apertures 7 formed in cars 8 provided by extension of the side walls of the part 4. Each spigot 6 has a section equivalent to a major sector of a circle and the spigots can enter the apertures 7 through their restricted side openings when the intermediate member 5 is rocked beyond its position of normal use relatively to the part 4 in an anticlockwise direction as seen from the left. During the range of pivotal movement between the two parts in normal use the spigots 6 are unable to leave the apertures 7 again.

As an alternative the spigots could be provided with full circular sections and be arranged to be a snap fit through the restricted side openings into the apertures 7.

As a further alternative when plastics parts are used, both the spigots and the apertures could be fully circular and snap fitted together after forcing the resilient ears 8 apart.

The intermediate member -5 is pivotally connected to the carrier 3 by means of an axle pin 9 which is pushed through aligned holes in a pair of downwardly projecting legs10 of the member 5 and a pair of upwardly projecting legs 11 formed integrally with the carrier 3. Mounted on the pin 9 between the legs 11 are a flint wheel 12 formed with a ratchet and pawl disc which lies to one side of the flint wheel 12 and co-oprates with the ratchet on the flint wheel.

The rear end of the part 4 is prevented from rising upwards above the pivotal connection provided by the spigots 6, by means of a pair of integral depending legs 13 each formed with a chamfer 14 and a shoulder 15 such that the legs can be sprung down between inner faces 16 of the carrier 3 until the shoulders 15 are beneath complementary shoulders 17 formed at the bottom of the faces 16. At each side of its rear end the part 4 is provided with a cam follower surface 18 which cooperates with a cam surface 19 on the carrier 3. The action is urged to its inactive position, illustrated in FIG. 1, by means of a helically coiled tension spring 20 which extends forwardly and downwardly between an integral anchorage 21 on the part 4 and an integral anchorage 22 on the carrier 3. In this position the legs 10 abut against stops 23 formed integrally with the carrier 3. The horizontal pivotal axis between the part 4 and the member 5 is then above and slightly in front of the horizontal pivotal axis between the member 5 and the carrier 3.

The assembly shown in FIG. 1, which comprises all the working parts of the action, can be tested by depressing the inner actuating member part 4 backwards and downwards against the action of the spring 20. The actuating member part 4 moves with a snap action both because the disposition of the pivotal axes at the front of the action causes the front of the part 4 to move up and over a dead centre position in known manner, and also because the cam follower surfaces 18 ride over and down the back of the cams 19 with a snap action. The part 4 causes the intermediate member 5 to rotate about the pin 9 and the member 5 in turn carries the pawl disc with it, the pawl disc rotating the flint wheel. A flint is urged upwards in a flint tube 24, which may or may not be formed integrally with the carrier 3, into engagement with the underside of the flint wheel 12 so that as the flint wheel is rotated a stream of sparks is directed to light fuel at a burner which will, when the action is fitted to a lighter, extend upwards through an aperture 25 in the carrier 3. Subsequent release of the actuating member part 4 causes the action to reassume its illustrated inoperative position under the action of the spring 20. 'It will thus be appreciated that the whole action can be assembled and tested without any further embellishment to the parts shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 shows the manner in which the action is embellished and fitted to the rest of the lighter. A fuel reservoir 26 is located against the underside of the top wall of the carrier 3 and against a side wall 27 of the carrier. The flint tube 24 then extends downwards through a cylindrical passage 28 in the reservoir and a burner 29 extends upwards through the aperture 25. In this example the lighter is a gas burning lighter and the burner 29 has a valve which is opened by rocking of a lever 30. This is effected by a downward projection of the inner actuating member part 4 so that the lever 30 is rocked to open the valve 29 when the part 4 is depressed. For full testing of the lighter mechanism prior to final embellishment, the fuel reservoir alone may be fitted to the action.

As a final assembly stem the action carrier 3 and reservoir 27 are a close sliding fit into an embellished metal outer shell 31 the upper side edges of which 32 then overlap the ends of the axle pin and hold it axially in position. An embellished metal outer actuating member part 33, complementary to the outer shell 31, is snap fitted onto the inner part 4 by means of a depression 34 providing on each side wall of the outer part 33 an internal shoulder which rides over and snaps beneath a complementary shoulder 35 formed integrally on each side wall of the inner part 4. The outer part 33 then completes with the outer shell 31 the overall external shape of the lighter. When the lighter is operated the outer part 33 transmits the operators thumb pressure to the inner part 4, and moves with the inner part.

If any parts of the action, except the outer actuating member part 33, require adjustment or replacement, the outer part 33 is snapped olf the inner part 4, the adjustment or replacement is made, and the outer part 33 is snapped back on in position again.

The modification shown in FIG. 3 is similar to the FIG. 1 example except for two differences. The first difference is that instead of the rear end of the inner part 4 being guided by the interaction of the cams and followers 19 and 18, a pair of pivotal links provided by the arms of a moulded plastics yoke 36 are used. These arms are pivotally mounted at their lower ends to the carrier 3 by means of integral spigots which snap into apertures 37 formed in integral upstanding portion of the carrier 3. At their upper ends the arms are pivotally connected to the inner part 4 by means of integral spigots which snap into apertures 38 formed in the side walls of the part 4.

The second difference lies in the pivotal connection between the inner part 4 and the intermediate member 5. Instead of the spigots 6 and the part circular apertures 7, a cylindrical rod 39 formed integrally at the front of the part 4 nests or snaps into a part cylindrical slot 40 moulded into the top of the intermediate member 5.

I claim:

1. In a cigarette lighter having a burner and an action comprising a flint wheel, an actuating member adapted to be moved backwards and downwards away from a rest position by thumb pressure, means connecting said actuating member to said flint wheel whereby said movement of said actuating member causes rotation of said flint wheel and a stream of sparks to be directed to ignite fuel at said burner, said connection means comprising an intermediate member connected to. said flint wheel and means pivotally connecting the front end of said actuating member to said intermediate member; the improvement according to which said actuating member is divided into inner and outer parts, and said lighter comprises a return spring acting on said inner part to urge said actuating member to its rest position, means pivotally connecting said inner part to said intermediate member whereby said action is fully operational without said outer part, and resiliently inter-engaging means on said inner and outer parts for snap-fastening said outer part onto said inner part whereby said outer part serves to conceal said action and to transmit said operators thumb pressure to said inner part to operate said action.

2. A lighter according to claim 1, wherein said inner part is made of a plastics material.

3. A lighter according to claim 1, wherein said inner part and said intermediate member are both moulded from plastics material and said means pivotally connecting said front end of said actuating member to said intermediate member comprises wall parts defining at least one aperture which is at least part circular in shape formed integrally in one of said inner parts and said intermediate member and receiving complementary spigot means formed integrally with the other of said inner part and said intermediate member.

4. A lighter according to claim 1, including an action carrier moulded from a plastics material, means pivotal- 1y mounting said intermediate member on said action carrier, said last named means comprising wall parts of said intermediate member and said action carrier defining aligned holes therethrough, an axle pin extending through said aligned holes and rotatably supporting said flint wheel, and an outer shell of said lighter locating said axle pin axially in position.

5. A lighter according to claim 4, wherein a rear end of said inner actuating member part co-operates with said action carrier by means of a cam and follower adapted to guide said rear end upon operation of said action.

6. A lighter according to claim 4, wherein said action carrier is provided with an integral anchorage for one end of said return spring, and said inner part of said actuating member is provided with an integral anchorage for the other end of said return spring.

7. In a cigarette lighter having a burner and an action comprising a flint wheel, an actuating member adapted to be moved away from a rest position by thumb pressure, and means connecting said actuating member to said flint wheel so that said movement of said actuating member causes rotation of said flint wheel and the direction of a stream of sparks to ignite fuel at said burner, said connecting means comprising an intermediate member connected to said flint wheel and to which one end of said actuating member is pivoted, the improvement according to which said actuating member is a moulded plastic member comprising integral parts and said intermediate member comprises integral parts which mate with said integral parts of said actuating member to provide said pivotal connection between said actuating and intermediate members, and said lighter further comprises a moulded plastics carrier on which said flint wheel is rotatably mounted and on which the whole action is mounted, said carrier being formed with an integral cam and the other end of said actuating member being formed with a cam follower which follows said cam to provide guidance for said other end of said actuating member during its operative movement, and a tension spring connected between and anchored to integral parts of the actuating member and carrier member to urge said actuating member to its rest position.

8. A lighter according to claim 7, in which the flint wheel and intermediate part are mounted on a common ax e.

9. A lighter according to claim 7, in which the intermediate part is also a plastics moulding.

10. A lighter as claimed in claim 7 in which one of said intermediate and actuating members defines at least one aperture and the other of said members is formed with a spigot which is received in said aperture to provide the pivotal connection between said members.

11. A lighter as claimed in claim 7 in which the actuating member extends along the top of the lighter and is mounted to move downwards and backwards away from said burner to operate said lighter, said burner being positioned adjacent said one end of said actuating member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,889,898 12/1932 Kellermann 431-139X 2,594,631 4/1952 Fortin 431139 3,150,508 9/1964 Smith 431130 3,371,506 3/1968 Zahn 431-139 FOREIGN PATENTS 591,119 8/1947 Great Britain 431-139 EDWARD J. MICHAEL, Primary Examiner 

